There are many processes which yield waste water containing organic components. It is desirable that these components be removed and, according to the state of the art, heavy metals or certain iron salts and peroxide have been used for this purpose. However, when these materials are used, the degradation of the organic components is incomplete to a substantial extent. Moreover, the products of such degradation are flocculated or flocculatable, as described in DE 29 27 911 and 26 41 094. In addition, DE 27 29 760 discloses the photocatalytic effect of titanium and silicon dioxides, as well as zinc oxide, without any particular mention of iron compounds.
Thus, there is a need for a process that improves the degradation of the organic components of waste water so that the residual components are minimized or eliminated. Important considerations are the time required, the yield obtained, and the effectiveness of carbonization of the components, i.e. the substantial conversion thereof into volatile degradation products.